You're What?
by Neuropsych
Summary: (COMPLETE) Jacob finds out about Jack and Sam's engagement (PG-13 for possible language)
1. 01

Author's note: So, this is pretty much a continuation of the Happy Birthday, Jack story, but it's a few weeks later, and everything's back to normal (as much as it gets, anyways) I'm not sure how long it will be, but we'll wait and see how things unfold!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Jack, Sam, Jacob or any of the SG characters that are already made up, but I do own Jaffer (_Thank goodness, because I really love writing him_)  
  
...................  
  
The street was dark. One of the streetlights that normally illuminated the road was malfunctioning and the other one just wasn't enough to make up for the loss of the broken one. A non-descript sedan drove down the dark street and stopped in front of one of the many dark houses on the street. A moment later a shadowy figure emerged from the car and looked around.  
  
The house was as dark as the street it was on. The porch light, which normally was on at night, had been forgotten and whoever lived in the house had left only one small night-light on in the kitchen, which barely showed through the open curtain of the living room.  
  
Silently, the man from the car walked up to the front door. He looked under the welcome mat, thinking that there might be a spare key hidden there – lots of people hid spare keys there, after all. When he didn't see one, he looked under a nearby flowerpot but there wasn't one there, either. Grumbling, he gave up, and with a faint tinkling sound, he pulled put a set of lock picks from his pocket.  
  
The noise of the lock clicking open a moment later seemed deafening in the quiet of the neighborhood, but it was his imagination, he knew. Nothing heard the lock clicking open, and no one heard the faint creak of the door as he swung it open a moment later.  
  
He was wrong.  
  
He'd barely moved into the hall and closed the door silently behind him when he heard a very faint noise. A slight clicking sound, like a bird clacking its beak, or the sound of claws on tile, perhaps. Whatever it was, it didn't repeat, no matter how hard the man listened, so he assumed it must have been his imagination.  
  
Then he saw a slight movement. A shadow moving against the shadows thrown by the tiny night-light in the other room. This he was sure he saw, but again, he had to be imagining it, since he knew the house well and knew that nothing that big and dark lived there. He started to take a step forward, and the shadow moved once more. This time it was moving towards him, and he froze, knowing that whatever it was, it definitely wasn't his imagination.  
  
A low, almost inaudible growl was the only warning he had. A second later, the shadow had solidified and had launched itself at him. With a shout of surprise, the man went down, landing hard on his back with the heavy weight of whatever it was fully on his chest. He started to struggle, but felt something clamp on his throat, and he stilled immediately.  
  
There was a faint rustle of clothing, and the sound of bare feet moving on carpet, and then the room was suddenly washed in a bright light as a switch was thrown on.  
  
"Dad!"  
  
Samantha Carter rushed over to the entrance hall, where Jaffer was sprawled on Jacob Carter's chest, his teeth locked firmly on the Tok'ra's throat.  
  
"Jaffer! Let him up."  
  
There was another low growl, and Jacob saw the brown eyes go from watching him suspiciously to looking over at Sam. Still his teeth didn't move and his jaw didn't relax.  
  
"Jaffer, drop him baby. It's okay."  
  
There was a sigh, that Jacob felt more than heard, and the teeth loosened their grip on his neck, then the big black lab got off him, and walked over to stand next to Sam, his head still low as he watched his prey.  
  
Sam brought her hand down onto the lab's head, rubbing his ears to relax him.  
  
"It's okay, Jaffer. You know my dad."  
  
Sure he knew her dad. But her dad wasn't _supposed_ to be sneaking into her house in the middle of the night. People you know come through the front door with the lights on, not sneaking around like they're up to no good. Jaffer still watched Jacob suspiciously, and moved when Sam started to reach down to help Jacob to his feet. He stepped between the Tok'ra and his charge, unwilling to trust that all was well just yet.  
  
With a scowl, Jacob got to his feet and glared at the dog while he ran his fingers along his throat, certain he was probably bleeding from half a dozen serious gashes, no matter that Selmac was telling him he was fine.  
  
"What's he doing here?" Jacob asked, glaring at Sam as if it were all her fault, now. "George said Jack was out of town."  
  
"He is." Sam said, kneeling down and putting her arms around Jaffer, still trying to relax the black lab. She could tell he wasn't exactly sure Jacob wasn't up to no good, just by the way he made sure to keep himself between her and him, which wouldn't do, since Sam wanted to give him a hug. "But he left in an F-15, and he couldn't take Jaffer, so he's staying with me. To keep me company." Uh huh. That was only part of it, and Sam hadn't been fooled at all. Jaffer was also her personal guard dog while O'Neill was gone, and she knew that he knew it as well as she did. Hence the extra protectiveness. "You shouldn't have been sneaking around in the middle of the night." She said, stroking Jaffer's side, again, but smiling. "He could have killed you."  
  
Well, no, probably not. Jaffer could be vicious when roused, but he'd reacted exactly as he'd been trained, and she knew her father wouldn't even have a mark on his neck. But it was _fun_ to say. Especially when it made him scowl like that.  
  
"I didn't know he was here, or I would have knocked." Jacob sighed, and knelt down, reaching a hand out to Jaffer. He didn't like the suspicious look in the black lab's eyes, and wanted to remind the dog that they were friends. He just didn't come around as often as everyone else did. Jaffer reached his nose out and sniffed Jacob's hand. He didn't want to be suspicious of the Tok'ra – he liked pretty much everyone, after all – he just didn't like people who did sneaky things. Especially when he was in charge of the house, and the occupants.  
  
"What are you doing here?" Sam asked, smiling when Jaffer's tail began to wag idly, as the dog accepted that Jacob wasn't so bad, after all.  
  
"Came for a surprise visit." Jacob said, rubbing Jaffer's ears. He grinned, realizing that the surprise had been all his. "Surprise." 


	2. 02

Author's note: They're not at Jack's house. Jaffer is staying at Sam's with her while Jack is out of town. When Jacob went looking for her, since he knew Jack was out of town, he'd naturally head for her house... (one assumes)  
  
.............  
  
Sam had known when she went to bed how she was going to be woken up the next day. Although Jack was usually the victim of Jaffer's early morning wake up game, Sam had been zinged by him enough times that she rarely was startled when she woke up to find herself straddled by a hulking dog that was looming over and her staring at her with an impossible intense expression in those deep brown eyes.  
  
Of course, the first time she'd been woken up that night, it hadn't been in play. Jaffer's cold nose and low growl were enough to tell Sam that he wanted her awake, and the hackles that she could feel standing up on his ruff told her that something was going on that he didn't like. She didn't read Jaffer as well as Jack did – no one did, and no one ever would – but she'd known him all his life, and she knew immediately, even in the dark, that he wasn't playing. She'd reached for her robe in the dark, even as Jaffer had slunk out of her room as silently as he'd entered. Presumably to deal with whatever it was, or to investigate it further. A moment later, she'd heard her father's surprised cry, and she'd pelted down the hall on silent feet to see what was going on.  
  
Once Jaffer had been reassured Jacob wasn't a threat, and that he was doing a great job as guard dog, Sam had made up the bed in the guest room for her dad. It was really too late that evening for them to sit and chat. Sam knew that her day was going to begin early the next morning, and knew that she had a lot to do – even if Jacob obviously was just here for a social call, which was a pleasant switch. So she'd hugged him, told him to make himself comfortable, and had went to bed.  
  
It seemed as if her head had only barely touched the pillow again when she felt the looming presence of Jaffer standing over her, permeating her sleepy mind and invading her dreams. Sam opened her eyes, frowning sleepily as she looked into those cheerful brown eyes that were so happy they made her heart flip-flop.  
  
"It _can't_ be morning, already," She complained, pushing on his chest and trying to avoid his tongue, which was his primary weapon in the wake-up battle. Of course, her bedroom was lit up with the first light of the morning sun and _that_ didn't happen in the middle of the night, so she had to admit it probably was morning.  
  
Jaffer's tail wagged furiously when she spoke, and he nuzzled her neck with his cold wet nose. It _was_ morning! It was time for her to get up, because he wanted to go out, and he wanted to go for a walk, and he wanted _her_ to come with him!  
  
"Let me up, Jaffer," Sam said, trying to wriggle out from under him. He was cheating outrageously, using his weight and leverage to hold her pinned to the bed while he licked her neck and ears. She pushed against his chest once more. "Why don't you go wake up my dad?" Of course, by then Sam would have sicced Jaffer on anyone to get him off her. She didn't really expect him to do it, though.  
  
That was a fine idea. Jaffer jumped to the floor gracefully and headed out the door, and Sam grumbled as she threw back the covers and grabbed a towel to wipe the dog slobber off her face while she walked down the hall to make coffee. She didn't see the black tail vanishing into the guest room.  
  
She'd barely started the coffee to brewing and was standing in the kitchen leaning against the counter while she tried to wake up, when she heard a startled yell coming from down the hall.  
  
"_SAM_!"  
  
Grinning despite the irritation she heard in his voice, Sam hurried down the hall and to the open door of the guest room. Jacob was sprawled on the floor next to the bed, looking wild-eyed and very miffed. Jaffer was standing on the bed, looking down at him, his tail wagging idly and his brown eyes mischievously cheerful.  
  
"_What is Jack teaching him_?" Jacob asked, scowling at his daughter and then up at the dog.  
  
"Jack didn't teach him that one, dad," Sam said, smiling. "He learned it all on his own. You get used to it after a while."  
  
"It's a terrible way to wake up."  
  
"At least he didn't use his teeth, this time."  
  
"Very funny."  
  
Jacob scowled again and dragged himself off the floor to sit on the bed next to Jaffer. Despite his irritation, he couldn't resist reaching out and stroking the black hide, amazed by how silky it was. Jacob loved dogs, and missed them more than pretty much anything. The Tok'ra needed dogs.  
  
"Do you have any coffee made?"  
  
"It's making."  
  
"I need a cup."  
  
"Get dressed and meet me in the kitchen." She told him, gesturing for Jaffer to come with her. The black lab hopped down off the bed, and trotted over to Sam's side. He'd done his job, it was time to go out.  
  
She took him to the back door, and let him out, then stood in the yard and watched him. Sam's back yard wasn't fenced in, so she wouldn't leave him out alone. She was well aware that Jack had entrusted his baby to her, and there was no way she was going to let anything happen to him while she was watching him. Jaffer seemed to understand this as well, and he didn't linger outside long, knowing that she was waiting on him. He took care of his business, checked to make sure nothing had peed in _his_ yard – which was his simply because he was in it – and then headed for the door again, far too awake for the early hour.  
  
"What do you have scheduled for your day, Sam?" Jacob asked. He was standing in the kitchen pouring coffee when she and Jaffer came back inside. The black lab went over and sniffed him again, just to make sure he was still the same guy that he'd decided was okay earlier. Satisfied that he wasn't a threat to his Sam, Jaffer went over and stood next to his food dish in a not so subtle reminder that he needed some breakfast.  
  
"I have a report due on the device that SG-8 found last week. I'm pretty sure it's simply a generator – with a low frequency modulation that allows it to carry a charge for several days – but I have to test that theory before I can turn in the final paper. So I'll be in my lab this morning." She took the cup of coffee he offered her, set it on the counter and picked up Jaffer's food dish, taking it over to the large bag of Dog Chow that was resting by the door.  
  
"Any way you can get out of it and spend some time with your old man?"  
  
She shrugged as she set the now full food dish on the floor for Jaffer. "Probably. General Hammond isn't in any hurry to get the report, I'm sure. Did you have something in mind?"  
  
"No, not really..." Jacob trailed off as he noticed for the first time the new piece of jewelry on her finger. He walked over, reached out and took her hand without a word, and Jaffer was instantly watching, his breakfast forgotten, and his hackles raising just a little at the sudden motion and the way Jacob practically grabbed his Sam without so much as a _by your leave_. "What's this?"  
  
Sam smiled, and reached her free hand down to reassure Jaffer, who moved between the two of them again, pushing Jacob away from his Sam.  
  
"It's an engagement ring." Sam said, looking down at the ring like she always did when someone mentioned it.  
  
"_Jack proposed_?" Jacob was too startled by this news to be annoyed at the way the black lab was ushering him away from contact with his daughter.  
  
"Uh huh, a couple of weeks ago."  
  
"When were you planning on telling _me_?"  
  
"When I saw you."  
  
Jaffer didn't like the tone in Jacob's voice, and he didn't like the way the man was staring at his Sam. The cheerfulness that had been practically an aura around the black lab since he'd woken up dimmed, and there was a low growl now rumbling in his chest. Deep in his chest. Sam caught it immediately, and stroked Jaffer's ears to reassure him, but Jacob didn't notice, and he crossed his arms over his chest, torn between hurt that she hadn't let him know sooner, and anger that she seemed to have been hiding it from him.  
  
"You could have called."  
  
Sam shrugged, kneeling down and stroking Jaffer's side. "I don't have your phone number."  
  
"Is he _always_ like this?" Jacob asked, changing the subject, and pointing at Jaffer. Selmac had pointed out the dog's behavior, and Jacob had to agree it wasn't normal.  
  
"Only when he thinks he's protecting me." She smiled, thinking that Jacob and Jaffer had a lot in common in this instance. Both were concerned about her. Jaffer definitely had the advantage in this one, though.  
  
"_I'm_ not a threat to you."  
  
"He doesn't know you all that well, dad. It's not like he sees you every day." She shrugged, "Why don't we take him for a walk? I'll tell you all about the proposal, and you and Jaffer can spend some time together, so he can see you're not as bad as you're trying to act."  
  
Jacob scowled. Jaffer probably scowled. But Sam reached for the black lab's leash, and neither one of them had any chance to say no. 


	3. 03

"_He actually got down on his knees_?" Jacob asked about twenty minutes later, as the two of them walked on a path in the park near Sam's house, Jaffer walking between them, with Sam holding his leash.  
  
Sam had allowed him a chance to get finished dressing, and finish his cup of coffee, but she'd refused to speak with him about the engagement, giving Jacob a chance to get over his surprise before he and she discussed it further. This also gave Sam a chance to think about any arguments her father might think up and come up with a counter for them.  
  
Once they'd started walking, Sam started to tell him the story of how Jack proposed. Jacob, of course, was full of interruptions.  
  
"Yep. Of course, the box was covered in slobber, since Jaffer had been carrying it, but it was so sweet..."  
  
"Yeah, I bet..."  
  
Sam smiled at the sour note in her father's voice.  
  
"What's wrong, dad? You can't be mad that he asked me. You had to know it was coming."  
  
"I _knew_ it was coming... I just assumed he'd wait until things were a little more... stable..."  
  
"What? Wait until the Goa'uld are defeated and there's peace on Earth?" Her sarcasm was gentle, but it didn't make Jacob's scowl any less serious.  
  
"What's wrong with that?"  
  
"Oh, _please_... who knows when that'd happen – if ever? Why should we wait?"  
  
"You're both Air Force officers. On the same unit. There's regulations."  
  
"We're not going to get married _tomorrow_, dad." Sam said, shrugging. "Things change, you know? Someday he and I will be in the position where we can get married, and won't have to worry about regulations."  
  
"Why couldn't he wait till then to ask you?"  
  
"Why should he?" Sam asked, her hand resting on Jaffer's head to keep the lab calm. Jaffer was fine, though. He was between Sam and Jacob, and knew that the man couldn't hurt his Sam without going through Jaffer. Something that he'd never be able to do. Jaffer was very confident of his abilities, after all. With good reason. "We've waited a long time, already. If Jack-"  
  
She paused as a little girl came rushing up, drawn to Jaffer, and followed by an anxious mother, who grabbed her daughter's hand before she could get within reach of Jaffer's nose, and asked if he would let her pet him. Sam smiled and nodded, assuring the woman her daughter would be fine, and the little girl reached out and touched the black lab, whose tail was wagging happily at the touch. He loved little kids! Jaffer licked the little girls' face and she giggled, and the mother's nervous look faded a bit. The mother and Sam chatted for a moment while the little girl was gently mauled by Jaffer, then they moved off, separating Jaffer from yet another child who'd already fallen in love with him.  
  
"You were saying?" Jacob asked as soon as they were out of earshot of the pair.  
  
"I was saying that if Jack hadn't proposed soon, I probably would have."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Why what?"  
  
"Why do you have to be married? Why can't you just... I don't know... be friends a while longer?"  
  
Sam smiled. "Friends who sleep together?" She asked, pointedly, causing Jacob to flush slightly. He did _not_ want to discuss Sam's love life.  
  
"Sam..."  
  
"Dad... Jack proposed. I said yes. I'm going to marry him. I don't know why you're so upset about this, it's not like I chose some bum off the street. Jack's a good man, and you know it."  
  
"Jack's-"  
  
Jacob broke off when a crowd of children – obviously from a daycare or a preschool of some kind – came rushing up to see the big black lab. They crowded around, petting him and oohing and ahhing and giggling when Jaffer managed to land a few licks on ticklish ears and faces. A moment later they were ushered off by their teachers, or guardians, leaving Jacob and Sam alone again with the lab.  
  
"Does this happen all the time?" Jacob asked, annoyed that he couldn't have a full conversation with his daughter without being interrupted.  
  
Sam nodded, "Kids love Jaffer. He's like a kid magnet." She arched a brow at him, a trick she'd learned from Teal'c. "You were saying something about Jack?"  
  
Jacob frowned, trying to figure out how to say what he wanted to say without getting her upset.  
  
"Jack's been hurt a few times, Sam, hasn't he? On missions, I mean?"  
  
"Yes. So have I. So have Daniel and Teal'c."  
  
"What if something happens to him?" He wasn't saying it exactly how he wanted to, but he had to try. "What if, God forbid, he gets killed? Then what?"  
  
"What if he crashes on his way home and dies, dad?" She countered. "What if you and I get hit by a bus on the way back to my house and we die?" She couldn't believe he'd tried to come up with such a lame argument. "Life is what you make it. Jack and I know we have dangerous jobs, but we're not going to let that hold us back. If anything, it's more reason than ever to not wait."  
  
Yeah, okay. That had been a bad example. Jacob bit his lower lip, but Sam was done with his arguments.  
  
"Dad. I _love_ Jack, and I'm going to marry him. Not tomorrow, of course, but if he asked me to marry him tomorrow, I would. He's a good man, and I've loved him for a long time."  
  
"Sam..."  
  
"_I love him_."  
  
Jacob sighed. Yeah, he knew she loved him. And he'd seen enough to know that Jack O'Neill really loved her as well. He wasn't really against them getting married, he supposed. He just didn't like being the last to know, and... well, he didn't know. He just... "Damn it, Sam. You're _too young_ to get married."  
  
She laughed, and reached out and took his hand, loving him even more because he was still trying to figure out an argument when she knew he didn't really have one.  
  
"You and mom were married and had two kids by the time she was my age." She reminded him.  
  
"Yeah, yeah. But... I wasn't good enough for her, and Jack's not good enough for you."  
  
"He knows that."  
  
She smiled when he looked surprised, and Sam squeezed his hand. "He told me the same thing just a couple days ago."  
  
"See? Then I'm right."  
  
"And you weren't good enough for mom, and yet she was deliriously happy with you – most of the time. And I'll be the same way with Jack."  
  
She looked at her watch, realizing that they'd spent longer in the park than she'd intended to.  
  
"We have to get going, dad. I need some breakfast before I go in and ask for the day off."  
  
Jacob nodded. He was hungry, too. And he needed some time to think a few things through.  
  
"I'll ride in with you, if you don't mind, Sam. I need to talk to George." 


	4. 04

"This has got to be _the most uncomfortable_ car ride I've ever taken."  
  
The three of them were piled into Sam's car, a four door sedan, and Jaffer was in the back seat right behind Jacob, who could feel the lab breathing down the back of his neck.  
  
"You could have followed me in your car," Sam reminded him, smiling. She'd never really seen Jaffer acting like he was, but it was kind of cute and extremely touching.  
  
"I wanted to spend time with you," Jacob said. "I just didn't know I'd have the big goon breathing down my neck trying to intimidate me."  
  
"Is it working?"  
  
"_Nah_."  
  
It was, actually, a little. But really it was just more of an annoyance – although he'd felt those teeth around his throat and knew just how sharp and big they were.  
  
"He's usually not _this bad_, dad." Sam assured him. "It's probably just that Jack's gone and you didn't make a very good first impression on him by sneaking into the house last night. He's just making sure you know who's boss."  
  
"He's just a dog, Sam," Jacob said. "I think you're probably giving him too much credit."  
  
"Sometimes I wonder," she said, looking at Jaffer in the rearview mirror for a moment. The lab was focused on her father, though, and didn't turn his attention to her. "I've seen him do some pretty amazing things. Sometimes I wonder about him."  
  
"He's just a _smart_ dog, Sam." Jacob said, shrugging. "Labs are smart, and he's well trained." He felt more hot breath on his bare neck, and scowled. "And _annoying_."  
  
"You haven't seen annoying, yet."  
  
He looked over at her. "What's that supposed to mean?"  
  
"You'll see." It was almost more of a promise than a comment, and Jacob was a little nervous as they pulled into the drive thru of a fast food place to get some breakfast.  
  
Ten minutes later, Jacob knew. He was trying to eat a breakfast sandwich and drink his cup of coffee and all the while he was trying to ignore the steady steam of dog drool sliding down the back of his neck. Jaffer had finished the sandwich that Sam had handed him fairly quickly, and was now watching Jacob as the Tok'ra tried to finish his own.  
  
Occasionally Sam would look over and turn back quickly, trying to hide her grin. Jaffer had always been a drooler, and he was outdoing himself. Her father's neck was soaked. His shirt collar was covered in slobber, and the back of his neck was gleaming.  
  
"I feel like I should have a snorkel on," Jacob complained finally, well aware of his daughter's amusement.  
  
Sam snorted, her laughter finally gaining the upper hand.  
  
Jacob scowled.  
  
"Why isn't he drooling on you?"  
  
"Because I'm driving. He never bothers the driver – although most of the time that's Jack, and I'm usually the one getting drooled on."  
  
"I wonder how he knows the difference," Jacob mused, giving up on his sandwich and passing it back over his shoulder to the black lab, who took it carefully from his fingers then gobbled it as if he hadn't seen a meal in weeks.  
  
"Beats me," Sam said, shrugging. "I'll tell you something that's even more impressive, though."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"Jaffer can tell the difference between a human with a symbiote and one without."  
  
"Bullshit."  
  
"It's true." Sam said, looking over at him for a moment before turning her attention to the road. "He knows a Goa'uld or Tok'ra from a regular human. Jack can do it, too – Teal'c's yellow lab," Sam added. "They must give off some kind of scent, or hormone, or pheromone. I'm not sure. Whatever it is, it's a pretty nifty trick."  
  
Jacob turned in his seat to look at the black lab, who was watching him cheerfully. After all, the man had just given him a snack, and one of the best ways to Jaffer's heart was through his stomach.  
  
"Maybe that's why he's so guarded with me?" Jacob hazarded. "Because of Selmac?"  
  
"Nah," Sam shook her head. "Jaffer doesn't dislike Tok'ra – or Jaffa, for that matter. He's been around Teal'c all his life, after all, and he doesn't hold any prejudices." Probably the only thing Jaffer didn't have in common with his owner, since Jack was very much the opposite. "You make it or break it with Jaffer on how you act around him – and if Jack likes you." Sam smiled. "What it probably is, though, is that he doesn't like sharing me."  
  
"That's only fair," Jacob said, turning around and facing forward again as they were waved to a stop at the main gate at Cheyenne Mountain. "I don't like sharing you, either."  
  
Sam smiled.  
  
..........  
  
"Listen dad, I need to go take care of a few things in my lab really quick. You can either come with, or hang out somewhere else. No promises you'll find what I'm doing interesting, though."  
  
The three of them were walking down the corridors of the SGC now, and once more Jaffer was walking between Jacob and Sam, his head up and his eyes watching everything, even though he was in one of the most secure places on the planet. Jaffer took his responsibilities seriously – although it was one of the few things he ever took seriously. Something he had in common with Jack.  
  
Jacob shrugged.  
  
"You go ahead, Sammy. Take your time and get what you need to do done. I'll go talk to George, and then meet you somewhere, or come find you."  
  
"You don't mind?"  
  
"Not at all," he assured her, smiling. "I'll be fine."  
  
"Thanks, dad."  
  
She turned and headed for her lab, with Jaffer right beside her, and Jacob took the next left and headed for General Hammond's office. 


	5. 05

"Jacob?" Hammond looked up when he heard his friend knock on his office and door, and waved him in, closing his laptop and moving it aside. "I figured you'd be spending the morning with Major Carter."  
  
"I was planning on it, George," Jacob said as he walked in and sat down. "But she had some stuff to take care of."  
  
"She's amazing, Jacob," Hammond said, smiling. "You should be very proud of her."  
  
"I am."  
  
He looked distracted, though. Not at all like he normally did when the two friends were discussing Samantha Carter. Hammond, of course, noticed immediately. He knew his friend better than anyone.  
  
"What's wrong, Jacob?"  
  
"Did you know Jack O'Neill asked Sam to marry him?"  
  
Hammond nodded, understanding the distraction immediately. He hadn't thought to mention it to Jacob when the Tok'ra had come through the Stargate the night before – that was definitely something Major Carter should break to her father, not Hammond.  
  
"I understand it was something O'Neill had been planning for sometime," He said.  
  
"Did he ask you?"  
  
Hammond smiled and shook his head.  
  
"What do _you_ think?"  
  
Jacob scowled.  
  
"There are _regulations_, George."  
  
"They've saved the world enough times that I think we can give them a little leeway, Jacob. God knows if anyone deserves a chance to be happy, it's your daughter."  
  
Hammond knew how tough it was for Sam to always have the weight of the world on her shoulders, and he saw that load lighten considerably every time she was around Jack O'Neill. The two were good for each other, as far as he was concerned.  
  
"Are you against them getting married?" He asked his friend.  
  
Jacob scowled, and threw up his hands, frustrated.  
  
"No, I'm not against them getting married. Christ, Jack O'Neill is about the most honorable man I've ever met, and I know he loves her – and she's made it perfectly plain that she loves him. I just..."  
  
"You just don't want your baby to grow up?"  
  
The scowl deepened.  
  
"I _know_ she's grown up, George. I just don't want her to get hurt. What if something happens to him? How would she...?" He trailed off, an old pain in his expression. Jacob knew how much it hurt to lose a spouse. Hammond did, too. Both men were silent, reflecting on past loves for a long moment, and then Hammond spoke up.  
  
"Would you have ever changed anything, Jacob? Knowing what was going to happen, would you have not married her?"  
  
"No." The answer was immediate. There had been far more good times than bad, and he knew he'd never have wanted to live without having loved Sam's mother. "I just... I don't want her to go through what I did if something happens... Why can't she love a _banker_?" "  
  
"Life's a gamble we take, Jacob." Hammond said, shrugging. "Love is an even bigger gamble."  
  
"I know."  
  
"They have a right to take the gamble, too."  
  
"You're _supposed_ to be on my side, George." Jacob complained.  
  
Hammond smiled, slightly, and leaned forward. "_You_ want Sam to be happy. _I_ want Sam to be happy. We're on the same side. Jack O'Neill makes her happy."  
  
"She's..." Jacob sighed, and leaned back in his chair, rubbing his forehead, tiredly. "Where's Jack?"  
  
"Out of town."  
  
"I know that, George. _Where_ out of town? When will he be back?"  
  
"Tomorrow sometime. He's at Area 51 giving a lecture."  
  
"A _lecture_? Jack O'Neill?"  
  
"A _tactics_ lecture," Hammond said, smiling. "No one better for teaching tactics than Jack."  
  
"Do you have any flights heading that way today?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Can I borrow an F-15, then?"  
  
Hammond looked at his friend for a long moment.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I need to see him. Alone. Without Sam."  
  
"Jacob..."  
  
"George. I'm not going to cause trouble. I just want to talk to him. I need to talk to him. This is my little girl's future I'm talking about here."  
  
"She's not a little girl, anymore, in case you haven't noticed."  
  
"I know. But she'll always be my little girl."  
  
"If you do something crazy behind her back, you're liable to hurt her."  
  
"I'd never hurt her, George." Jacob assured him. Hammond knew that, though. Well, he knew that Jacob wouldn't hurt her on purpose, anyways. "So? Can I borrow a plane?"  
  
"I can't just _give_ you an F-15, Jacob." Hammond said, scowling. He saw his friend's expression darken, and shrugged. "However, Colonel O'Neill appears to have left some... very important papers on his desk... that I'm sure he'll need for his lecture. I can't remember the fax number there – _secret stuff_, you understand – so maybe you could deliver them for me? If you have a bit of spare time?"  
  
Jacob smiled. "I think I could do that, George. As a favor to you, you understand."  
  
"I'll call the Air Command and have them fuel up a jet for you."  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"Are you planning on telling Major Carter where you're going?"  
  
"Good Lord, no. And don't you tell her, either. She'll just worry, or be mad."  
  
"I'm not going to lie to her."  
  
"Why don't you do me a favor and find something important off-world for her to do for the rest of the day?"  
  
"Your favors list is running pretty high, old friend."  
  
Jacob shrugged. "I seem to recall a young Lieutenant who really wanted to be introduced to this beautiful young woman who just made his heart flutter- "  
  
"Fine, fine... I'll find something for her to do." Hammond sighed, rolling his eyes. "Just... don't do anything dumb, okay?"  
  
"Me???"  
  
"Get out of my office, Jacob." George said. "I have a base to run." And some kind of busy work to find for Carter to take care of while her father was off meddling in her personal life. 


	6. 06

Author's note: This one is a little shorter than usual, but sometimes I can't help that  
  
.......................  
  
There was a knock on the door of Sam's lab, and she looked up from the generator she was showing her father to see that Daniel was standing there.  
  
"Hey, Sam. Busy?"  
  
"No, come on in."  
  
Daniel walked into her lab, grinning down at Jaffer, who had come over to see if the archeologist had any plans to share the cup of coffee he was holding.  
  
"No way," Daniel said, stroking the velvety ears with one hand and holding the cup away form the black lab at the same time. "I don't know where that mouth of yours has been."  
  
Jaffer snorted, headed back to stand between Sam and Jacob, and Daniel walked over.  
  
"Hi Jacob, it's good to see you again."  
  
The Tok'ra smiled. "You, too, Daniel."  
  
Daniel looked over at Sam, a slight frown on his face, now. "I hate to cut short your time with your dad this morning, Sam, but General Hammond wants you to come with me to P39-045."  
  
"What? Why?"  
  
"He said I needed help." Daniel shrugged. He didn't think he needed help. His apologetic frown turned into a slight scowl. "What I think he really wants is for you and Jaffer to make sure I don't wander off while I'm doing rubbings of the ruins there."  
  
Jacob and Sam both smiled.  
  
"You? Wander off? What _possibly_ would give him that notion?"  
  
"It was only that once..."  
  
"And it almost got you killed."  
  
"I was doing okay."  
  
"Once we pulled you out of that quicksand stuff."  
  
"Yeah, yeah." Daniel shrugged. He wasn't going to win this one. "So anyways, _you_ have to come with me. I'm sorry."  
  
Jacob smiled.  
  
"Don't worry about it, Daniel. I'm going to be here all day. I can see Sam tonight."  
  
"Are you sure, dad?" She asked. "I could probably ask General Hammond to send an SG team with Daniel-"  
  
"No, Sam. It's okay. I want to go do a little looking around, anyways. We'll have dinner tonight, instead of lunch."  
  
She nodded, and he gave her a quick hug, much to Jaffer's displeasure, although the dog didn't make a sound. He just didn't like Jacob touching his Sam.  
  
"I'll see you when we get back," she promised.  
  
"Don't hurry on my account."  
  
He watched as she put away her generator, and then walked with her, Daniel and Jaffer down the corridor to supply to get outfitted for off-world travel, and then to the embarkation room, where Hammond was already waiting.  
  
"Sorry about this, Major." He apologized, shooting Jacob a look that Sam and Daniel didn't see.  
  
"It's all right, Sir."  
  
Daniel picked up his pack, which held all the equipment he'd need to make his rubbings, and Sam checked her weapon, and then snapped Jaffer's leash onto his collar as the gate started dialing out. She'd not risk losing him on another planet any more than she'd risk losing him in her back yard.  
  
"We'll be back soon, dad," She promised.  
  
"No rush," Jacob said.  
  
Hammond was the only one who knew that Jacob meant that. As soon as Daniel, Sam and Jaffer had vanished through the gate, he looked at Jacob.  
  
"Thanks, George."  
  
Hammond nodded. "My aide de camp is waiting to drive you to the tarmac where an F-15 is waiting for you. The flight plan's laid on already and you have clearance to go as soon as you're ready."  
  
"I owe you one." Jacob said, smiling.  
  
"You owe me _two_." Hammond corrected. "Just don't do anything you might regret. Or that Major Carter might regret."  
  
"Everything's under control, George," Jacob said. "Don't be such a mother hen."  
  
Hammond snorted, and walked off, shaking his head, and Jacob smiled after him. A reminder from Selmac that Sam wasn't going to be gone all day was enough to get him moving, and he left the embarkation room, and headed for the elevator. He had a plane to catch. 


	7. 07

Jack O'Neill was tired already. He hated giving lectures, even though he found it oddly gratifying to have a couple dozen people staring at you like you're the smartest person in the world – _not_ something he got a lot. He'd been up since very early that morning, woken by a friend of his stationed at Groom Lake (area 51) who thought Jack would like nothing better than to take a pre-dawn run. A thrown pillow and a couple choice words told the other Colonel otherwise, and he'd been left alone. Of course, the damage was done by then, though. He was awake, and he wasn't going to get back to sleep any time soon. So he'd gotten up and started his day – about 3 hours sooner than he'd intended to.  
  
Sam had helped him map out his lecture before he'd left, and had even made him use her as a sample audience. He'd griped about how stupid he felt explaining the tactics of fighting Jaffa and Goa'uld to someone who knew pretty much as much as he did about it, but in the end he did what she asked, and this morning he'd been glad for it. The lecture was smooth, the audience had listened attentively, and had even asked informative questions when he'd opened the floor.  
  
A four-hour lecture wasn't something he enjoyed – although all in all it wasn't as completely awful as it could have been – but it wasn't something Jack wanted to do every day. He had a couple more things he had to do at the base, but then he was thinking maybe he'd sneak off a bit early and head home. Might even make it back by dinner, instead of by breakfast. He'd just tell Hammond that... well, he'd think of _something_. He _hated_ the desert.  
  
He watched as the future of the Air Force filed out of the lecture room, some of them coming over and shaking his hand before going, and gathered his papers, wondering what Sam and Jaffer were doing just then. Probably something way more interesting than what he was doing. Maybe even something fun. Or eating. He could do with something to eat. Yeah. Food. That'd be something to do, anyways. He followed the last of the youngsters out of the room, and stopped cold when he saw Jacob Carter standing in the corridor, wearing a flight suit, and leaning against the wall with his arms folded across his chest.  
  
Jacob had peeked in on the last part of Jack's lecture, but hadn't stayed in the room. For one thing, he didn't need a class on how to fight Goa'uld. For another, he wasn't exactly sure what he was going to say to O'Neill once he confronted him. The flight from Colorado Springs to Area 51 was hardly a long one, and he'd had too much fun playing with the fighter he'd been in to really focus on the talk. It'd been a long time since Jacob had been in an F-15, and he'd practically barrel-rolled himself to the New Mexico border.  
  
"Jacob...?"  
  
The surprised look in Jack's face had only lasted about a half a heartbeat before it was immediately replaced with concern.  
  
"What are... is Sam okay?"  
  
Jack couldn't think of any other reason that Carter would be standing there. He racked his brain, but he couldn't remember Sam telling him her father was coming for a visit – and even if he had been told, Jacob would undoubtedly have wanted to spend time with Sam, not come looking for Jack in one of the most miserable places in North America.  
  
Jacob scowled. If there'd ever been any doubt about how Jack felt about his daughter – and truth be told, there wasn't – that was a telling point. Jack's first concern had been Sam. His first question was if she was okay. Not, what are you doing here, or something like that. Ah well.  
  
"Sam's fine, Jack," The Tok'ra told him as O'Neill walked over. "I... um... well, you left these papers on your desk and George thought you might need them." Jacob handed over the papers he'd hastily brought with him.  
  
Jack took the papers, and looked down at them, then up at Jacob. The worry in his eyes was gone completely, now, replaced with suspicion.  
  
"So... General Hammond saw that I'd forgotten a requisite form on my desk – a requisite for a new holster for my sidearm – and decided I needed it?"  
  
Jacob shrugged, trying to act nonchalant. "What can I say? He wants you to be safe, I suppose."  
  
"So he called the Tok'ra, and had them send you on a special mission... to bring it to me?"  
  
It was Jack's turn to fold his arms across his chest, and he had an expression on his face that was a cross between amusement and annoyance.  
  
Jacob sighed. "Well... there might be a little more to the story than that."  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"Like I know you asked Sam to marry you..."  
  
Understanding dawned in Jack's expression for just the briefest of moments, and then his face became completely unreadable.  
  
"And...?"  
  
"And what?"  
  
"And you came down here to talk to me?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"About...?"  
  
Jacob shuffled uncomfortably.  
  
"I'm not sure, Jack. I'm just... worried, I suppose."  
  
"About Sam?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Are you _sure_ you want to marry her?"  
  
"Does Sam know you're here?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Does she know you know we're getting married?"  
  
Jacob nodded. "She told me this morning."  
  
The unreadable expression on Jack's face turned hard, and his eyes – which normally were the mirror to how he was feeling – grew cold.  
  
"So you came rushing down here to confront me?"  
  
Jack saw that the hall still had a few stragglers in it, and that was more of an audience than he wanted for what he was going to say next. With a grip that was far stronger than Jacob would have guessed him capable of, O'Neill grabbed the back of the flight jacket and pulled Jacob back into his lecture room, slamming the door firmly shut behind them.  
  
"Are you out of your mind?"  
  
It was Jacob's turn to be angry. He didn't appreciate being man-handled, and the old General certainly didn't appreciate the attitude Jack was giving him – although Selmac told him he was well within his rights. He told her to hush.  
  
"Look, Jack," Jacob began, but O'Neill cut him off before he could say anything else.  
  
"You listen to me, Jacob, because I'm _only_ going to tell you this once. I love your daughter, and no matter what you say, I'm going to marry her. She's smart, and funny, and wonderful – God only knows she must have gotten all that from her mother – but she is, and I love her because of it. I'm not going to allow you to say or do anything stupid to ruin this for us, and I'm not going to let you hurt her with the whole protective father thing, because the absolute last thing she needs is to be hurt. '_Am I sure I want to marry her?_' What the hell kind of fucked-up question is that? Do you know how long it took me to get the nerve to propose to her? Do you have any idea how long I carried that ring around, trying to come up with the right words? The right time? If you did, you'd never have asked."  
  
"Jack..."  
  
"No, Jacob. I have the floor. This is _my_ lecture room, after all, and I'm in charge here."  
  
He was absolutely furious; the legendary O'Neill temper was at its peak and fully focused on the man in front of him.  
  
"I want to marry Sam, and she wants to marry me. She's been practically smiling nonstop since I gave her that ring, which is a sure sign she's not pretending just because she thinks it'll make me feel good. She's _happy_, Jacob, and I want her to stay that way, and I'll do anything to keep her that way. If you came rushing down here to tell me to tell her that I've changed my mind, you might as well leave, now, and make sure you're not at the SGC when I get back there. Sam loves you, so I can't kill you, but I will tell you this; if you get in the way of her being happy, I'll mow you down, and not even Selmac will be able to fix it." 


	8. 08

He should have been concerned at the display of temper he was seeing. Not concerned for himself, of course. Jacob was pretty sure that despite the threat, there was very little Jack could do to hurt him permanently. _Pretty sure_. He should have been concerned because the man who was showing such a nasty temper was the one who his daughter had decided she would eventually spend the rest of her life with, and if that temper was ever turned on her it was capable of terrible things. Irreversible things.  
  
Of course, he knew better. Jacob knew without a doubt that Jack would never turn on Sam in the same manner he'd just turned on him. He could tell by the anger in the younger man's voice, and by the way he had immediately risen up to confront the one – _potential_ – threat to what he thought was going to make Sam happiest. Jack was the kind of man that would step in front of a bullet for someone he didn't know; he'd certainly go to far more extreme measures for those he liked. God only knew what he'd do for Sam, who Jacob knew he loved more than anyone else.  
  
Obviously, though, _one_ of those things was to make it immediately clear to her father that his meddling was not appreciated. Jacob shook his head, and raised a hand to stop Jack from saying in his anger something that couldn't be unsaid.  
  
"Jack, I'm not."  
  
"Not what, Jacob?" O'Neill asked, his brown eyes flashing with unbridled anger still.  
  
"I'm not here to tell you not to marry Sam." Jacob frowned. "Well, maybe I thought about it on my way here, but... well, it's not as bad an idea as I might have originally thought it was..."  
  
"So you came down here to tell me... that it's _sort_ of okay?"  
  
The frown turned into a scowl. "Look. Maybe we can go get a drink and talk about this a little..."  
  
"Jacob, I don't _want_ to go get a drink. For one thing, if I have a drink, I'm not going to be able to fly home tonight. For another, I'm not sure I want to drink with _you_, and not to mention that if you get me drunk, I might forget that you and I are on the same side and I might do something I... _might_... regret later."  
  
"How about a cup of coffee?"  
  
"Why don't you just tell me what you want to tell me, Jacob?" Jack said, folding his arms across his chest. "That way we're not someplace I have to pretend that I'm enjoying myself."  
  
Jacob sighed, frustrated, but he understood why the man was being so defensive, and so belligerent. If the situations were reversed, he might be acting the same way.  
  
"Look. I love Sam. I want her to be happy."  
  
"_So do I_."  
  
"Do we have to go to a different room, Colonel?" Jacob asked, scowling at him. "_I_ get to talk now, even if it is your lecture room."  
  
The use of Jack's rank was a pretty low blow, and Jacob knew it, but it did stop Jack from making a scathing comment, reminding him that while Jacob was with the Tok'ra, he was still a General, and out-ranked Jack. More or less.  
  
"Fine, _Sir_." The sarcasm was not the gentle sarcasm Jack had used earlier. He recognized the cheap shot as easily as Jacob did. "You have the floor."  
  
Jacob was quiet while he thought through what he wanted to say, but Jack didn't move, and he didn't hurry him along. He watched the older man intently, and Jacob was immediately reminded of the way Jaffer watched him whenever he'd been around Sam.  
  
"Look. I know you love Sam, Jack." Jacob started. "God knows, she loves you." He shrugged. "I love her, too, though, you know? I'm her dad. She's supposed to need me..." He sighed. "If she marries you, then she won't need me, anymore."  
  
There, it was out in the open. One of the reasons he didn't want his little girl to get married. He wanted to be the primary focus in her life, and if she got married, Jack would take that role away from him – if he hadn't already.  
  
"Sam's always going to need you, Jacob."  
  
He shrugged. "Maybe."  
  
"She needs me, too, though." Jack said. "Although I can't for the life of me figure out why..."  
  
"Me, either."  
  
This time, though, Jacob wasn't serious, and Jack's expression cleared a bit of the anger that had been there.  
  
"I'll never hurt her, Jacob. That's the only promise I can make you. I'd die first."  
  
"I know, Jack." Yeah, he knew.  
  
"Sam really doesn't know you're here?"  
  
Jacob shook his head.  
  
"How did you manage that?"  
  
"Had George find her busy work to keep her occupied. He sent her to go guard Daniel Jackson while he did some rubbings or something."  
  
"_Off-world_?" Jack frowned.  
  
"Don't worry, Jack," Jacob said. "It's not dangerous, and she took that demon of yours with her, so she'll be fine."  
  
"Jaffer is a sweetheart," Jack objected, smiling. "Like his owner."  
  
"Jaffer is spoiled and overprotective."  
  
"Overprotective? My little black lab?" He was over his mad, now, and Jacob was glad. The two of them would have more to discuss, of course, but none of it without Sam knowing about it.  
  
"Your little black lab about ripped my throat out last night," he told him.  
  
"What did you do to make him do that?"  
  
"I'll tell you all about it over lunch. Then I have to get back to Cheyenne Mountain."  
  
"How did you get here?"  
  
"Borrowed an F-15."  
  
Jack shook his head, amazed. All this way just to tell him he _sort_ of was okay with Jack marrying his daughter, but wasn't _positive_. And really Jack wasn't even certain that Jacob had said it was okay. He frowned, again, but the scowl didn't reach his eyes.  
  
"She'll be pretty upset if she finds out you came down her to pick a fight with me."  
  
"I didn't come down here to pick a fight with you."  
  
"And yet, you did."  
  
"_You_ yelled at me. I didn't yell at you."  
  
"See? You're still arguing with me..." Jack shook his head, pretending to be dismayed.  
  
"I'm not-"  
  
"That's okay, Jacob, you can make it up to me by buying me lunch."  
  
Jack headed for the door, and Jacob stared after him, wondering how he'd managed to lose control of the situation so quickly that he was now buying lunch for the guy. He frowned, and shrugged.  
  
"Fine, but I'm picking the place..."  
  
"Fine."  
  
Oh, yes, there were so many places here to choose from. Jack waited just long enough for Jacob to catch up to him in the corridor, then the two headed for the exit. 


	9. 09

The gate started dialing, and alarms started blaring all over the base.  
  
_"Unscheduled off-world activation! Repeat! Unscheduled off-world activation! Security teams to the embarkation room! General Hammond to the Command room!"_  
  
"What the...?" Hammond looked up from the papers he'd been shuffling, and was standing before he even realized it. Dropping the pen he'd been signing his name with, he was out the door of his office and heading for the stairs immediately.  
  
"What's going on Sergeant?" He asked, looking over the young man's shoulder at the computer he was sitting in front of.  
  
"We're getting an off-world activation, Sir. Code is coming through..." He looked at his screen, intently. "...now." There was a sigh of relief. "It's SG-1, Sir."  
  
"But they can't be done _already_..." Hammond suddenly was concerned that Major Carter and Doctor Jackson had come under fire – although he knew the planet was deserted or he'd never have sent the pair of them off on their own. "Open the iris."  
  
The metal slid open effortlessly, and Hammond headed for the stairs. He entered the embarkation room just as Daniel and Sam came staggering through the gate. Daniel was carrying the packs he'd been carrying before, but he was also carrying Sam's pack as well, and her weapon. Sam had her hands full. She was carrying Jaffer, who was completely silent and still, his eyes closed and his head hanging limply.  
  
"Stand down!"  
  
Hammond rushed up the ramp, and tried to take Jaffer from Sam, but she wouldn't give him up.  
  
"What happened, Major?" He asked, looking with very real concern at the black lab. It was scary to see the energetic dog so still.  
  
"He ate something, Sir." She said. "I don't know what. _I wasn't watching him closely enough_..." Carter was distraught, and Hammond understood immediately why. He ran his hands along the silky black hide, and could feel the dog's heart beating, so at least he was alive. But he was so still...  
  
"We'll get Fraiser-"  
  
"We've got to get _his vet_," Sam said, clutching Jaffer even tighter against her. "This _is all my fault_! Oh, God... Jack is going to..." Tears were streaming down her cheeks, but she didn't have a hand free to brush them away.  
  
"Major, we _can't_ bring his vet..."  
  
"_Then get another one_! He's _got_ to have a _vet_!" She tried to stagger down the ramp but was over-balanced by the dead weight of the black lab in her arms and would have fallen forward if one of the Marines hadn't jumped forward and supported her.  
  
Hammond made an instant decision, and turned to Jackson.  
  
"Doctor Jackson, call Jaffer's vet and have her ready to come here. Then go pick her up and bring her here, personally. I'll make sure the people at the gate don't slow you down. Tell her he ate something – but for God's sake, don't tell her _where_ he was when he did it. Bring her directly to the infirmary, and don't stop anywhere else." Hammond turned to one of the security men, "Call Doctor Fraiser. Get her and a medical team in here immediately."  
  
It was unnecessary. Janet ran through the door only a moment after he said that, summoned by the alarms. She almost ran into Daniel, who was already dropping his packs and rushing towards the elevator. He'd call Monica on the way on his cell and save time.  
  
"What happened?" She asked, coming over to Sam. Her first glance was at Carter, but she didn't see any bleeding or bruises, and if the Major was strong enough to carry Jaffer, she wasn't seriously hurt. Then she looked at the black lab.  
  
"He... he ate something..." Sam said, brushing her cheek against Jaffer's silky shoulder and wiping her tears off on the glossy black hide. More were falling, though, and the others were having trouble understanding what she was trying to tell them. "I wasn't watching him... I was... looking the other way... Then he just... just keeled over. Not even a sound..."  
  
"Give him here, Sam," Janet said, gently, reaching out for the still form.  
  
"_No_!" Carter clutched Jaffer tightly, brushing her lips against his fur. God, what if she'd killed him? It was all her fault. She was responsible for-  
  
"Sam. Give him to me. Let me see him." Janet took the black lab from her, carefully, and staggered under the weight of him. He was even heavier than he looked. With the help of the Marine who'd been supporting Carter, the doctor got the still black form on the gurney her team had brought in with them, and they whisked him off to the infirmary, with Sam rushing behind them, and Hammond right beside her.  
  
..................  
  
"You mentioned flying back home tonight?" Jacob asked, as the two men sat down at the booth in the Commissary. It was almost identical to the one at the SGC, Jacob noticed.  
  
Jack nodded, smiling when a waitress came over to see what he and the General wanted. This was a difference; they didn't get serve at the commissary back home, it was a help yourself kind of place.  
  
"I'll have a burger, fries, and coffee," Jack said, "And pie. Whatever kind you have that doesn't have coconut."  
  
"Yes, Sir." She wrote that down and turned to Jacob, who shrugged.  
  
"I'll have the same thing."  
  
When she was gone, Jack nodded again. "I'm pretty much done here. I have some stuff they want me to look at – stuff that we brought back form various places here and there, that they just want to confirm came from us."  
  
"Wouldn't Sam or Daniel be a better choice for doing that?" Jacob asked, carefully. Trying not to offend Jack. He didn't need to worry.  
  
"They would, but neither of them are here, and I am."  
  
The Tok'ra nodded.  
  
"You're going back as soon as you're done eating?" Jack asked.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Hoping to get back before Sam finds out where you've _been_?" There was a definite gleam in O'Neill's eyes, but Jacob didn't read Jack well enough to know what it was.  
  
"I'm pretty sure she's going to find out where I've been," Jacob said, feeling very stupid for thinking that he could come down and yell at Jack and then make it back before Sam got done with her busy work. It hadn't been a very good plan, after all. Selmac reminded him that he hadn't been thinking all that clearly, so he had a little bit of an excuse.  
  
"Not from me," Jack said, shrugging.  
  
"What?"  
  
"_I'm_ not going to tell her, Jacob."  
  
Jack looked up when the waitress returned with his coffee, and took a sip as she handed Jacob his.  
  
"Your lunch should only be a few more minutes," She promised.  
  
"Thanks."  
  
The Tok'ra turned his attention back to Jack the moment she was gone again.  
  
"You're not going to tell her?"  
  
"What's there to tell her?" O'Neill asked, taking another sip of his coffee. It was good. "'Hey, Carter... Your dad cares so much for you that he came rushing down to tell me I'm not good enough for you?'"  
  
Jacob smiled, slightly. "Of course, you're leaving out the fact that you _threatened_ me..."  
  
"I did not."  
  
"Yes, you did. It was definitely a threat, Jack."  
  
He shrugged, "Well, we can leave that out, too. We wouldn't want her to be upset, now would we?" 


	10. 10

Sam had never felt more helpless. She was hovering just out of the way of Janet Fraiser and her team of medics, who were working over the still form of Jaffer like a swarm of irritated bees, trying desperately not to ask – again – how he was doing or what they were doing to him. Fraiser had given Jaffer a shot of some kind, and had laid on an IV of some sort, and now her and her team were focusing on x-rays they'd taken of the lab's stomach and chest, but Sam could tell that Janet wasn't sure what was wrong. She knew her friend very well, and could read the worry and confusion in her expression as she looked down at the black lab that meant the world to Jack.  
  
"Oh, God, I have to call Jack..." Sam whispered, wiping yet another tear from her cheek. "He's got to be told."  
  
Hammond had been right beside her the half hour they'd been in the infirmary, and the General handed her yet another tissue. Despite his stoic demeanor, Hammond was beside himself with worry and self-incriminations. This was all his fault, after all, and he knew it. He was the one who'd sent the two off-world, and he was the one that had put Sam into such a situation. He could have thought of something else to send her to do, something that wouldn't have involved any kind of danger to the black lab.  
  
"We'll wait and see what the vet says when she gets here, Major," Hammond said. "Doctor Fraiser says he's stable, after all."  
  
It had been the only good news Janet had had to give them. She had Jaffer's heart beating regularly, and she had him breathing more or less on his own, but she couldn't get him to wake up with any of the medications she'd tried, and she didn't dare try too many, for fear of doing more damage than she was trying to fix. She just didn't know the physiology of canines well enough, and she didn't dare gamble, since she knew Dr. Ray was coming, and she knew Jaffer's insides better than anyone else.  
  
A med-tech had just brought another round of test results over to Fraiser when there was a commotion at the entrance, and another flash of white in a sea of white lab coats was seen heading through the crowd. This jacket was different from the ones worn by the Military personnel, but the person wearing the jacket took in the scene immediately, and headed over, right at home in the middle of chaos.  
  
"Monica!"  
  
Sam breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Jaffer's vet arrive, and Daniel came over to stand next to the distraught Major.  
  
"You made good time," Hammond noted, watching as Monica Ray took the first set of x-rays from Janet Fraiser with a greeting, and ran one hand along Jaffer's side while she held the film up to a light so she could see what was going on inside him.  
  
"I ran every stoplight from here to her office," Daniel said, softly. "How is he doing?"  
  
"He's stable." Sam said, wringing her hands together, worriedly.  
  
"How are you doing?" Daniel asked, putting his arm around her.  
  
"_He's going to hate me_..."  
  
He knew immediately who she was talking about, and shook his head, "He loves you, Sam." Daniel assured her, hugging her. "They _both_ do."  
  
Before Sam could say anything else, Janet turned and walked over to them, and Monica Ray reached into the black bag she'd brought and pulled out a long tube, which she began to feed into Jaffer's mouth and presumably down his throat.  
  
"What's happening, Janet?" Sam asked, stepping out of the comfort of Daniel's embrace. "Is he going to be all right?"  
  
"Monica says it's pharmalogical, and the tests seem to agree with that. We're going to treat it as an overdose, and pump his stomach, then force liquid charcoal down into his stomach. The charcoal should bond with anything the stomach pump missed, and it'll keep him from digesting any more than he already has."  
  
"Is he going to be all right?"  
  
Janet shrugged. "_I_ can't say, Sam. I'm not familiar enough with the metabolism of canines to be certain. When Monica's done, she'll come and talk to you."  
  
"I'm going to call Area 51," Hammond said. "I'll get clearance for O'Neill to fly home immediately, and inform him of what's going on. He should be here in a couple hours."  
  
"I should call him, Sir," Sam said. "This is my fault."  
  
"It's not your fault, Sam," Daniel disagreed. "Jaffer's always eating things that –"  
  
"I was supposed to be watching him, Daniel!" Sam told him, furious with herself for not paying attention. "I was _responsible_ for him, and I didn't do what I was supposed to do and..."  
  
"Major, that's enough." Hammond shook his head. "I'll call him. You stay here in case Jaffer wakes up, since he's going to be disorientated, and the first person he should see should be someone he knows and likes."  
  
She hesitated, but then nodded, and Hammond left the room just as the stomach pump machine whirred to life in the background.  
  
.................  
  
They were just starting their pie when Jack's cell phone rang. Jacob watched as Jack fished it out of his pocket and answered it.  
  
"O'Neill."  
  
Jack's eyes met Jacob's, and even though he couldn't hear the conversation on the other end, he knew immediately something was wrong.  
  
"_What_?"  
  
"Is she okay? Daniel's okay?"  
  
"No, I'll be right there."  
  
"Yes, Sir..." He hesitated, still looking at Jacob, but his eyes were utterly unreadable. "Tell her I love her, no matter what."  
  
He hung up the phone, and stood up, already reaching for his wallet.  
  
"What's going on, Jack?" Jacob asked, standing as well.  
  
"Your stupid stunt has backfired, Jacob. Jaffer got hold of something on that planet and has had some kind of reaction to it, now he's in the infirmary, and Sam's beside herself, apparently convinced that _she's_ killed him."  
  
"What?"  
  
Jack dropped a twenty on the table and headed for the door, followed by Jacob, who hurried to catch up to him.  
  
"What's going on, Jack? What's happened to Jaffer? Is Sam all right?"  
  
"I have to get back."  
  
"I'm coming, too, Jack. Tell me what's happened."  
  
"I don't know any more than what I've already told you," Jack said, already beside himself with worry. "He got hold of something that he shouldn't have, and he's paying for it, now."  
  
Jacob reached out and grabbed Jack's arm, but O'Neill spun himself free, "I have to get back, damn it! I can't... _I have to be there_..." Jack suddenly couldn't speak, and he turned and broke into a run, heading for the outer door and the tarmac, where his F-15 was already being refueled, even though he wasn't supposed to be leaving until much later. 


	11. 11

Hammond returned to the infirmary just in time to see Fraiser and Ray start gorging Jaffer with charcoal, using yet another tube down his throat, this one even bigger than the stomach pump one. The black lab was still unconscious, but as Hammond watched them running charcoal down the tube, he thought it was probably just as well that he wasn't awake for that.  
  
Sam was watching anxiously, standing so close to Daniel that she was actually leaning against him without realizing it. She turned when she saw Hammond enter the room, and her expression was bleak when he walked over.  
  
"Did you talk to him, Sir?"  
  
"I have a message for you from Colonel O'Neill, Major," Hammond said, slightly uncomfortably. He didn't like to bandy about their relationship any more than Jack and Sam themselves did. Not on base, anyways. "He asked me to tell you that he loves you, no matter what. His exact words."  
  
Sam met his words with utter silence. She knew she should feel relief that Jack wasn't going to hate her if the worst happened, but she could never forgive herself, and his words only made her feel worse than she already did. She couldn't cry, though. She'd already cried too much. She was a Major in the United State Air Force, damn it, and Majors didn't cry. She felt Daniel's arm around her waist, though, and started to lean against him, only to realize she already was.  
  
"I told you..." Daniel said, softly. He couldn't have been prouder of Jack's reaction. Jaffer meant everything to Jack, and everyone knew it, and even when things were at the worst, Jack had risen magnificently to the challenge and had sent Sam the one message that could comfort her.  
  
"Was..." Sam cleared her throat and tried again. "Was he angry?"  
  
"He's _worried_, Major. Worried about Jaffer, and worried about you. He's probably already in the air and on his way back."  
  
She nodded.  
  
"Sam?"  
  
They all turned and saw Monica Ray walking over to them, wiping charcoal off her hands and looking over at a test result that Janet Fraiser was holding as she walked beside the vet.  
  
"Monica. How is he?"  
  
She gave a slight smile, "I'm not going to say he's completely out of the woods, yet, but in instances like these time is always critical, and you got him to help far quicker than many pet owners would. The possible exception being Jack, of course."  
  
Sam smiled, knowing she was dead on about that. Jack would have known immediately something was wrong and had taken measures. Sam hadn't known until Jaffer had collapsed.  
  
"Will he be okay, do you think?"  
  
"Probably. We pumped his stomach and gave him charcoal. The wonderful thing about liquid charcoal is that there's nothing on Earth it won't bond to, and whatever the stomach pump missed, the charcoal should catch. We'll have to wait and see what happens when he comes around, but so far it looks promising."  
  
She felt relief, then. Not complete relief, since Ray's comment about nothing on earth the charcoal wouldn't bond to made her wonder if there were substances elsewhere that wouldn't bond to it, but more than she'd felt before. Monica knew Jaffer. More importantly, she was his vet. She knew how much he could take – like Fraiser know how much Jack could take.  
  
"Will you be here?" Sam asked, not wanting her to leave, but knowing she had a practice of her own to run, and probably some other anxious pet owners to calm.  
  
"Where's Jack?" Monica asked.  
  
"He's on his way, but he was out of town. I... I was supposed to be watching Jaffer."  
  
Which explained to Ray why Sam looked so stricken, even for a distraught pet owner. She probably figured it was all her fault that the black lab had gotten hold of whatever it was he'd eaten. Of course, Monica had no clue what it could have been. She knew all the plants in Colorado, and none of them were so dangerous to dogs. It had to have been some offshoot, maybe a plant transplanted from another state – or even another country.  
  
"Sam..." Monica frowned, looking at the major critically. "You _do_ know that no matter how closely you watch a lab, they're going to eventually eat something they shouldn't, right?" She looked over at the black lab who was being cleaned up by a corpsman. "Jaffer is the worst I've _ever_ seen when it comes to getting into trouble, and I've seen some real hellions. Jack and I lab-proofed his entire house one afternoon, and the very next day, Jack was in my office with a pair of sunglasses stuck in Jaffer's throat."  
  
"I know..." Sam said, nodding. She remembered quite clearly that incident, since Jack had been beside himself with worry and angry that he'd left something out for the puppy to get hold of. But it was different. This time it was _Sam_ who was responsible.  
  
"You know, but you still feel responsible..." Monica said, softly.  
  
Sam nodded again.  
  
"Well, I'll stick around and wait for Jaffer to wake up. Just your luck that my brother is in town and happens to be a better vet than I am, so he can watch my office if any emergencies show up."  
  
"Thanks, Monica."  
  
The vet shrugged, looking around. "It's not every day I get to come charging onto a top secret base and have people ushering me through check- points like I'm some kind of VIP."  
  
Hammond smiled. "Well, we appreciate you coming on such short notice, Doctor Ray. How long do you think it'll be before Jaffer wakes up?"  
  
"A couple hours, give or take." She shrugged. "He's not going to be happy when he wakes up, so if you can't have Jack here, I suggest, Sam, that you stick around."  
  
"I'm not going anywhere," Carter said. She looked around, though; able to think a little more clearly now that the panic of worrying about Jaffer had passed a little. "I wonder where my dad's at."  
  
"Doctor Ray? Can I interest you in a cup of coffee?" Hammond asked. "We have a very good selection in our Commissary, as well as something to eat if you'd like?"  
  
"Coffee would be wonderful, General Hammond," Monica said. She smiled at Sam, "If you need me, just come get me."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
Sam and Daniel walked over to the examination table Jaffer was on, and Hammond led Ray and Fraiser to the commissary to get a much-needed cup of coffee. 


	12. 12

The F-15 Eagle was an awesome aircraft. It was fast, it was about as comfortable as a fighter could be, and it was a machine that could be very forgiving when her pilot wasn't completely paying attention to what was going on around him. Even at Mach 2.5. These were good things, especially since Jack was making good use of all of them. He'd turned on the afterburners immediately after take-off, and had maintained an incredible speed the entire way to Colorado Springs, throwing down one sonic boom after another as he went. He wasn't worried about fuel consumption – not with a short flight like this – and he didn't worry about acquiring any targets, since there was nothing in the air that could go as fast as he was, except for Jacob, who was shadowing Jack in his own F-15. Short of running into a commercial airline, Jack didn't have to worry about anything. Which was a good thing, since he was worried about plenty of other things.  
  
His landing was a bit rough, and he'd barely slowed to a stop when he was already working on unstrapping himself from his restraints and harnesses. He popped the canopy, looked over and saw Jacob doing the same nearby, and jumped down from the wing of his aircraft. And almost fell on his face when his knees buckled in protest at moving so much after not moving at all.  
  
"Damn it..."  
  
Jack limped over to the edge of the tarmac, saluting various air support members, and struggled to find the keys to his truck in his uniform under his flight suit, which he didn't want to take the time to take off.  
  
"Jack! Wait up!"  
  
Jacob came jogging over as O'Neill finally got his keys free, and went to the passenger side of his the truck. Without a word, Jack unlocked both doors, waited just long enough to make sure Jacob was buckled in, and then peeled out of the parking lot at a speed that was well above the posted on- base limit.  
  
"Look... I'm sorry, Jack." Jacob said into the silence in the cab of the truck. "I know this is all my fault, and I-"  
  
"It's _not_ your fault, Jacob," Jack said, stopping at a gate and waiting for it to be opened for him to pass through. "Jaffer eats stuff. He always has. It's not Sam's fault, and it's not yours. I should have been there." Jack was really the only one who could make Jaffer drop something he had in his mouth, and everyone knew it. He'd had a lot of time during the flight to consider these things, and despite the comment he'd made to Jacob, it wasn't the older man's fault.  
  
"If I wouldn't have come-"  
  
"Jacob, it's not your fault, Goddamn it." The gate opened finally and Jack drove through, barely returning the salute of the Captain in charge of the Air base. "No matter what I said... you're not to blame, any more than Sam is."  
  
"Is he going to be all right, do you think?"  
  
"Hammond said Doctor Ray was coming in. She's Jaffer's regular vet, and if anyone can pull him through something, it's her. She's done miracles before." He'd thought a lot about that, as well.  
  
Jacob didn't say anything else, somehow knowing that Jack didn't want to talk about it further. They pulled up to the main gate just a few minutes later, and Jack was waved right through, instead of being stopped for a cursory look to make sure he was really him.  
  
"Pull up, Jack and go on in," Jacob said. "I'll park your truck for you."  
  
Jack did what he was told, and got out without even turning off the engine. He headed for the entrance at a dead run, and only stopped long enough to wait for the elevator – and only because the stairs were only accessible if there was an emergency and the base was under lockdown.  
  
"Come on you piece of-"  
  
The door opened, and he couldn't get in fast enough.  
  
..............  
  
Daniel sighed, and ran his hand along the silken black fur that covered Jaffer's shoulder. The black lab didn't acknowledge the touch – he was still out – but Sam reached over and put her hand over Daniel's, causing the archeologist to look over at her. The two of them had been in the same positions since the others had left them alone – more than an hour ago.  
  
"Why don't you go get some coffee, Daniel?" Sam whispered. "You could probably use a break..." There was nothing more depressing than watching a hurt or sick dog.  
  
"No, Sam," Daniel shook his head. "I'm..." He looked over her shoulder and saw a familiar figure coming through the door, still wearing a flight suit, and looking about as concerned as Daniel had ever seen him. "Maybe I will... get some coffee..." He smiled, gently, and squeezed her hand. "I'll be back in a few minutes."  
  
He nodded to Jack as they passed each other, but O'Neill barely acknowledged him. His mind was elsewhere. Daniel didn't take it personally. He went to find Hammond and inform him that Jack was back.  
  
"Sam..." Carter jumped when Jack touched her shoulder, and whirled around so quickly that she would have fallen if not for him grabbing her around the waist and supporting her.  
  
"Jack!" She wrapped her arms around him and burst into tears, unable to help herself. "I'm so sorry..."  
  
He hugged her close, his gaze going to Jaffer's still form as he guided her head to his shoulder.  
  
"Shhh... It's not your fault..." He murmured, running his hand through the hair on the back of her head. "He's always getting into trouble."  
  
"You..." She sniffed, and tried again. "_You_ can keep him out of trouble..." she whispered brokenly. "I... I..."  
  
"I don't keep him out of trouble, love," Jack whispered, pressing a gentle kiss against her tear-smeared cheek. "I usually just share it with him, which keeps it from seeming to be so bad."  
  
Sam chuckled despite her tears, and Jack squeezed her tightly.  
  
"Is Monica here?"  
  
She nodded.  
  
"What did she say?"  
  
Sam pulled away from his protective embrace, and moved so Jack could go to Jaffer's side. "She pumped his stomach and gave him some charcoal. It's-"  
  
"Liquid charcoal bonds with chemicals and other bad stuff," Jack finished, nodding. "I know what it does, Sam." He smiled, sadly, and she looked into his tired, troubled eyes for the first time since he'd arrived. "We've had to use it on him before."  
  
"She thinks he'll be okay... she said she would just have to wait and see how he was when he woke up."  
  
"How long will that be?"  
  
"She didn't say."  
  
"Then it's time he wakes up," Jack said, softly, leaning over the table and resting his head down next to Jaffer's and blowing softly on the black nose. Sam watched as O'Neill ran gentle fingers along the black snout, and then smiled softly when he whispered his baby's name.  
  
"Jaffer..."  
  
There wasn't a response, but Jack didn't seem at all concerned by that, and Sam wondered why he didn't look as worried as he had when he first entered the room. O'Neill looked about as calm as she'd ever seen him. Far calmer than Sam felt.  
  
Jack ran his fingers along the nose again; unsure how he knew Jaffer was going to be okay, but absolutely certain that once he got those brown eyes opened, the black lab would be fine.  
  
"Hey, little man..." Jack whispered. "You need to wake up. I need you too much for you to be sleeping right now."  
  
The words tore at Sam's heart, but she smiled, knowing that they were as true as anything Jack had ever said.  
  
"Monica said that he might be a little snappy when he wakes up, Jack..." She warned.  
  
"He won't bite, Sam." Jack assured her, running his fingers along the snout again, and pressing his cheek right up against Jaffer's. "He loves me... don't you, little man?"  
  
There was a slight motion at the touch, and the black tail moved just a little as Jaffer was dragged out of his sleep by the voice of the one person he loved more than anyone in the world. The voice he'd unconsciously been waiting to hear.  
  
"That's it, boy..." Jack turned his head, smiling, and watched as the tail thumped weakly against the sheet. A brown eye opened and looked at Jack reproachfully, as if wondering why he was waking him up, or maybe asking why he felt so lousy and why Jack had allowed it, but O'Neill smiled and planted a wet kiss on the top of the lab's head, and Jaffer's reproachful look turned into a cheerful one, even though he really felt awful. He couldn't be mad at Jack. Jack was his baby, after all.  
  
"How'd you do that, Jack?" Sam asked him, amazed.  
  
"He was ready to wake up, Sam," Jack said, smiling as Jaffer licked his face, tiredly. "I just reminded him he needed to." 


	13. 13

When Monica Ray was escorted back to the infirmary by Daniel, Janet and General Hammond, she wasn't at all surprised to see that Jack O'Neill was stretched out on the examination table next to Jaffer, his hand running along the black fur tenderly. She was a bit surprised to see the black lab was awake and responsive, though. His tail was wagging gently, and it was a good thing to see, even if the motion was tired-looking and weak. He was also licking Jack's hand every time it came anywhere near his mouth, which was also a very good sign. She smiled when she came over, and Jack rolled off the bed when he saw her, making room so she could give Jaffer a check-up.  
  
"Hey, Doc," Jack said, giving her a smile. "Fancy seeing you here."  
  
"Jack," Monica returned the smile – it was an infectious one and she couldn't have ignored it if she tried. "You're dog's been eating things he shouldn't be."  
  
"My puppy? Eat something bad for him?" Jack's look of mock surprise only lasted a moment, but it was long enough for the others to know that he was okay, and if O'Neill was okay, then that meant he was certain that Jaffer was.  
  
"Was he awake when you got here?" Monica asked.  
  
Jack looked fondly down at the black lab, who had rolled over onto his back, baring his belly for Jack to scratch for him.  
  
"Nah, he was sleeping on the job... letting Sam get all worried about him." Now his look was only for her, and she gave him a slight smile, still feeling guilty for what had happened, no matter what Jack said. But she felt better. Seeing him here, and having Jaffer awake were potent medicines.  
  
"How did he look when he woke up?" Monica asked, running her hands along Jaffer's body, checking for any fever, and watching the lab for any reaction that might be caused by tenderness. "Was he grumpy?"  
  
"Nope. Looked a little tired, maybe."  
  
"He's had a rough day."  
  
Jack nodded, looking over at Carter and thinking that she'd had a rough day, too.  
  
"Can I take him home?"  
  
"Not just yet."  
  
Jack scowled, and Monica grinned and put her hand over his on Jaffer's belly.  
  
"Just let me do another round of tests on him, to make sure everything's all right. If they come back clear, you can take him home."  
  
Fraiser called one of her med-techs over, and the doctor and the vet shooed everyone out of the room. Jack didn't want to leave, but unlike Fraiser, he rarely argued with Monica, since he could gripe when it came to his own health, but would never take a chance with Jaffer's. He followed Daniel out the door, and practically ran into Jacob, who was just coming into the infirmary.  
  
"How's he doing?" The Tok'ra asked, seeing the crowd of people entering the hallway.  
  
"He's going to be okay," Jack said.  
  
"I'm glad to hear that, Jack." Jacob handed O'Neill his keys, and Jack looked down at himself. He was dirty, and sweaty, and needed to get out of his flight suit.  
  
"Me, too, Jacob."  
  
Sam was looking at her dad, curiously. He was wearing a flight suit as well, and why was he handing Jack his keys? The scientist in her rarely missed such obvious clues, and the suspicious daughter in her started adding those clues together.  
  
"Where have you been, dad?" Sam asked.  
  
Jack and Jacob looked at each other, and Jacob realized what she was seeing. Jack caught it, too. He only looked dumb.  
  
"I think I'm going to go change," O'Neill said. "Coming, Jacob?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
The two beat a hasty retreat before Sam could ask again, leaving Carter, Daniel and Hammond standing in the hallway alone. Daniel looked as perplexed as Sam, but Hammond looked extremely uncomfortable, and she saw that. Just as she was opening her mouth to ask him the same question she'd asked her father, Hammond looked at his watch.  
  
"Wow, would you _look_ at the time? I need to go... wash my hair."  
  
He turned and headed down the hall as well, relying on the fact that he was a General and she was only a Major, and she wasn't going to come rushing down the hall to confront him.  
  
Sam looked at Daniel, who was watching Hammond.  
  
"Do you ever get the feeling you don't know exactly what's going on around you, Daniel?" she asked him.  
  
"Here?" Daniel smiled, and took her hand, and headed towards the commissary, taking her with him. She looked like she could use a cup of coffee. "All the time, Sam."  
  
..................  
  
"I'm going to have to tell her," Jacob said as he pulled off his flight suit, revealing a badly sweat-stained uniform. An outfit designed to keep you warm and comfortable at high elevations and Mach plus speed was not so well designed to keep you comfortable when you were walking around base, and both of the men were drenched.  
  
"Yeah, she's probably figured it out." Jack agreed. "I don't know that you need to bring Hammond into it, though..."  
  
"I wouldn't. Innocent bystander and all that."  
  
"Uh huh." Jack didn't really believe that for a moment, but he did know none of this was Hammond's fault, either. He didn't really care. His baby was fine, and Sam was looking a little rough, but that could be remedied with a little time. She was just worried, and who understood that better than Jack?  
  
"You want to have dinner?" Jacob asked, looking over at Jack, who was leaned against his locker, looking a little tired.  
  
Jack shook his head.  
  
"I'm beat, Jacob. When Doctor Ray clears Jaffer, I'm going to take him home, and I think the two of us are going to take a long nap. You should spend some time with Sam. It's not like you're going to be here all that long, after all, and she should have some quality time with you."  
  
"So, you're saying you're going to leave the two of us alone so I can admit to her all I've done, and she can yell at me without you having to hear it?"  
  
Jack nodded. "Pretty much, yes."  
  
Of course, he'd stop and see her before he took Jaffer home, just to make sure she was okay. And to remind her that he loved her. Then he'd go home and avoid her yelling at Jacob. Everyone said Jack had a temper – and yeah, he did – but when Sam's was roused it wasn't a pretty thing, and he didn't mind having an excuse to be away from it this time.  
  
"Thanks a lot."

Jacob's scowl only made Jack grin. He headed for a much- needed shower, leaving the Tok'ra sitting there trying to figure out how he was going to admit to Sam what he'd done.


	14. Epilogue

_Epilogue  
_  
The knock on the door woke Jack from a restless sleep. He opened his eyes, slowly, unwilling to wake up if he didn't absolutely _have_ to. Maybe it was a salesman, and they'd leave if he didn't answer. After all, it was Thursday morning. No one was home on Thursday morning. Everyone was at work, or at school. The only people staying home were people with little kids, and people with dogs who were still recovering from eating something they shouldn't have on other planets. Jack had to assume there _weren't_ a lot of people like that in his neighborhood.  
  
There was a snort in his ear, and it made him shiver when the warm breath tickled his sensitive skin.  
  
"I'm not getting up," He mumbled to Jaffer. The two of them were stretched out on his couch in the living room where'd they been sleeping since early the evening before. Actually, Jack was stretched out on the couch; Jaffer was more or less stretched out on Jack. His black body half supported by the back of the sofa, and half supported by Jack, and his head resting against Jack's shoulder, which put his nose right near Jack's ear. It was an extremely comfortable position for both of them, as long as you didn't mind a hundred plus pound blanket. And Jack didn't.  
  
The knock sounded again, and this time Jaffer licked Jack's ear, causing him to shiver again, and scowl.  
  
"Stop. They'll go away."  
  
He scratched Jaffer's jaw, and the black lab sighed in pleasure at the touch and closed his eyes. Yeah, they'd go away. Jack closed his eyes as well. A little more sleep was definitely in order.  
  
"Jack?"  
  
The voice from the other side of the door was Jacob's, and Jaffer recognized it and rolled off Jack, one foot accidentally coming down in the absolute worst spot possible, pinching parts of Jack that were most sensitive, which woke him up completely and immediately.  
  
"Hey! I might want to use that sometime, mister," Jack grumbled, rolling off the couch as well.  
  
Jaffer didn't look at all apologetic, but he did wag his tail cheerfully as he headed to the door, watching and waiting for Jack to come over as well. It was good to see the black lab looking so chipper, and Jack couldn't have been mad at him, even if he'd done the foot thing on purpose. Which he might have, Jack realized. The knock sounded again.  
  
"I'm coming!"  
  
He went to the door, and opened it. Sure enough, there was Jacob standing on his doorstep, his hands in his pockets. Jaffer moved slightly to stand between Jack and his company, but Jacob reached down and stroked the black nose cheerfully.  
  
"Hey Jack. How's he doing?"  
  
"Good, Jacob." Jack was always willing to discuss Jaffer. "He's a bit sleepy, but I think he's just being lazy, I don't think it's a side affect of whatever it was."  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Why don't you try to sneak in the house tonight, and we'll see?"  
  
Jacob smiled.  
  
"I'll pass, thanks."  
  
"Where's Sam?"  
  
"She's at the base."  
  
"Why aren't you with her?" Jack asked. "Come to _talk to me_ again?"  
  
His voice was calm, and his expression was even more so, which told Jacob that he probably wasn't being serious. But he wasn't sure. He nodded.  
  
"Actually, I have. Can I come in?"  
  
Jack was surprised, but he nodded. If Jacob had come to pick another fight – and really Jack couldn't believe that he had – it was just as well to have it happen in his own house, where he could hide the evidence if he ended up killing the old coot. He moved to the side, and Jaffer and Jack both watched as Jacob walked into the house and to the living room.  
  
"Something to drink?" Jack asked, closing the door.  
  
"Nah, thanks. I told Sam I'd meet her for lunch, so I can't stay long."  
  
Jack nodded, then leaned against the back of the couch, and waited to hear what the older man wanted to say to him.  
  
Jacob's hands went back into his pockets as the Tok'ra met his gaze for a long moment, apparently trying to figure out what he wanted to say, or how he wanted to say it. Jack was patient, though. He waited, giving the man whatever time he needed.  
  
"I'm not against you marrying Sam, Jack." Jacob said, finally. "You're good for her, I know that. You love her, which is even more important, and you come with a handy security alarm." He looked over at Jaffer, who had jumped up into an old recliner and was watching the two of them from where he'd stretched out.  
  
Jack smiled, slightly.  
  
"Did she tell you to come and make up?"  
  
Jacob's smile echoed his own, but he shook his head.  
  
"No. She told me a lot last night, and not all of it was nice, but she didn't send me here. As a matter of fact, she doesn't know I'm here, and I'd like to keep it that way for the time being."  
  
"Why does _that_ sound familiar?" Jack asked sarcastically. He wasn't upset though. Jacob had already said he wasn't against him marrying Sam, and he'd sounded sincere.  
  
Jacob pulled his hand out of his pocket and walked over to stand in front of Jack.  
  
"I'm here to give this to you," he said, handing over a tiny box.  
  
Jack took it and opened it. Inside was a delicate, and beautiful, diamond ring. It wasn't brand new, but it was lovely, and although the golden band was worn smooth it only added to the charm of the piece. Jack looked it over for a moment, and then looked up at Jacob, whose expression was completely unreadable.  
  
"Jacob, I can't marry you.... I'm already engaged."  
  
The Tok'ra laughed, but then turned serious.  
  
"That's Sam's mother's wedding ring, Jack. When you marry Sam, I think it'd be fitting if that was the ring you put on her finger."  
  
Jack looked back down at the ring.  
  
"I've carried that ring on the same chain as my dog tags for a long time," Jacob said, softly. "I've just been waiting for the right time to give it to Sam." He shrugged. "The more I think about it, though, the more I think it'd be better coming from you."  
  
"It'll be an honor, Jacob," Jack said softly, understanding the precious gift he was being given. "I'll make sure she knows that it came from you, though."  
  
"Let it be a surprise, though, okay?"  
  
Jack nodded. "If that's the way you want it."  
  
"I'd prefer it that way."  
  
"So I can marry Sam?" Jack asked.  
  
"You're going to anyways, right?"  
  
"Yup."  
  
"Then you can marry her."  
  
Jack smiled.  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"But you'd better take care of her, Jack." There was no mistaking the concern in his voice, and Jack nodded.  
  
"I will, Jacob."  
  
"You, too, Jaffer." Jacob told the black lab, who wagged his tail. Duh. Of _course_ he'd take care of Sam! She was his second favorite person in the whole wide world, and she smelled better than Jack!  
  
Jacob looked at his watch. "I'd better get going."  
  
"Thanks for coming by, Jacob," Jack said, putting the ring carefully back into its box and then putting it in his pocket. He was good at hiding rings, so he'd have no problem keeping it a secret until the time was right.  
  
"Sam says you and Jaffer have to come for dinner." The older man told him as they walked to the door.  
  
"Tell her we'll be there."  
  
Jacob opened the door, then stopped and looked at Jack.  
  
"I'll kill you if you hurt her." It had to be said.  
  
"I'd die, first."  
  
He nodded, satisfied, and turned to go.  
  
"Hey, Jacob?"  
  
The Tok'ra turned back.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Does this mean I get to call you dad?"  
  
"Not if you want me to answer."  
  
He turned without another word and went and got into his car. Jack watched, grinning, as he started it up and drove off, and Jaffer came over to stand next to him, watching as well.  
  
"Sounds like a yes, to me." Jack told his baby.  
  
Jaffer snorted.  
  
_The End!  
_  
Author's Note:  
  
So! Now Jacob knows! I want to thank everyone who's been reviewing my stories for their reviews. Like the stories or not, it's always nice to know what people are thinking, and it's fun to have you guys trying to guess what's going to happen before I write it. It's also fun for me to try and use some of your ideas. Remember, when I write a story, it's not completely set in stone until I've typed it out, which means things can – and usually do - change right in the middle of the telling. So keep it up! Tell me what you liked about this story. What you hated. Do I use Jaffer too much? I really like to write about the relationship the three of them (Jack, Sam, and Jaffer) all have. It's almost a love triangle. So, give me ideas for another story, and let me know what you want to see. The wedding is coming, but it's not coming yet, so not that... anything else is open game. 


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